Originally Posted by carlos123
Hmm...well...I can certainly go and baptize someone in the nearest lake, pond, pool, or stream that has water. There is no requirement for a baptism to occur among a group of witnesses. The baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip being a case in point. Undoubtedly there would have been others who witnessed the baptism but such others were incidental to the eunuch being baptized at that moment in time because there was ready water available to perform the baptism.

So one does not need to get with a Sunday Church at all to engage in baptisms. At least not biblically speaking.
1. Philip was an ordained Deacon in the infant church and thus at that time, he was qualified to perform the baptism of the eunuch.

2. The conversion and baptism of the eunuch is a unique event and thus should not be used as a paradigm for polity in the Church.

3. Just as important is to take into account the historical development of the Church. It took time for its organization to mature. If the same logic is used that you are advocating, i.e., that the situation of the infant Church is to be copied, then we should all be wearing clothes of goat skin, cooking all are meals over fires, offering animal sacrifices on the Sabbath, etc., etc., as did Adam and the first family.

Originally Posted by carlos123
Communion? Well...again biblically speaking, it takes no more than two or three. And it doesn't have to be in a Church building at all. If we are to believe what Jesus said about His being present when so little as two or three are gathered in His name then we can and indeed should have communion before our meals, on public buses, or wherever we might feel led to engage in remembering what Jesus did with some bread and appropriate fluid to represent his blood... I am not sure why you are of the belief that the sacrements, and more specifically the two you mentioned, must be done among an organized group of believers?
1. See above for the historical development of the Church.

2. The Lord's Table (aka: communion) is celebrated by the corporate body of believers that regularly come together and is to be totally separate from any other type of meal. (cf. 1Cor 11:20ff)

3. Unbelievers and those under discipline are not allowed to partake of the Lord's Supper. So, how can this regulation be enforced without Elders administering and overseeing it? Elders are appointed of God to RULE in the churches thus the Lord's Table cannot be done extemporaneously by anyone and just anywhere. This is to profane the sacrament and to ignore the government of the Church which God established. (cf. 1Tim 3:1-7)

Originally Posted by carlos123
Also what do you think an organized group of believers is?
1. The organized Church consists of a) a plurality of Elders, b) Deacons, pastor/teachers, and laity. (cf. Eph 4:10-16; 1Tim 5:17; Titus 1:5; 1Pet 5:1; The Church Body of Christ; The Church)

2. These meet together regularly on the Lord's Day for the purpose of worship. (cf. The Perpetuity and Change of the Sabbath, The Sabbath Question). The various and indispensable elements which are part of the corporate worship of God's people are: Preaching of the Word, prayer, singing of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, giving of tithes and offerings, administration of the sacraments (as required and according to an agreed schedule which is not regulated). Too many references to list.

3. The Church is the body of Christ which meets in various locales as separate assemblies wherein there are the officers who are responsible for proper worship, the preaching/teaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments and where individual believers serve one another according to the gifts given to them by God through the Holy Spirit. Again, too many references to list. (cf. The Church of Christ, by James Bannerman, Banner of Truth, 2 Vol., The Scriptural Doctrine of the Church, by Douglas Bannerman, Baker)

In His grace,

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simul iustus et peccator

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